 Movie
Reviews
with Andy Gough.
Serendipity (PG)
Directed by Peter Chelsom
Well folks, it was slim pickings this week.
I knew very little about this film – call it unserendipity – except to expect a ‘light romantic comedy' with John Cusack playing the lead role.
It certainly had all the ‘romantic comedy' formula working for it and was certainly light – light on plot, believability, character development, etc…
 Light and fluffy fare. Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack play out an implausible fairy tale, Hollywood-style in Serendipity.
Serendipity's dictionary meaning goes something like this: ‘an aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally'.
I love that concept, and there were moments between the very cute Kate Beckinsale (Sara) and John Cusack (Jonathan) that were quite inspired, like the destiny elevator game scene played out in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, but it was so light and fluffy that it became vacuous.
Writer Marc Klein was on to something promising with his concept, but this had the fingerprints of numerous rewrites to fit the Hollywood ‘formula for funding' all over it. And while it is a visually alluring film (especially the nice footage in the snow), it tiptoes too lightly around the issues of synchronicity, destiny and soul-mates to be at all insightful or inspired.
Most of the characters came across as one-dimensional and perhaps deliberately shallow – especially the partners of the two obsessive lovebirds. The two ‘best friend' characters are overplayed as comic relief, although Jeremy Piven (who played a neurotic writer in the excellent Larry Sanders Show) was entertaining as Jon's best friend, and lent some fascinating insights to Jon's dilemma/obsession.
The settings are Big Apple predictable – the Waldorf-Astoria, Bloomingdales, a little café called ‘Serendipity III' and the Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park.
The soundtrack was bland. While Annie Lennox did a good job at destroying my favourite Bob Marley song ‘Waiting in Vain', and even David Gray's ‘January Rain' was lost in the lollipop background.
The cast were convincing, the production values were there, but it just fizzed. Another in a long formula line of the When Harry Met Sally/Sleepless in Seattle fodder that leaves you a little warm and fuzzy after a bit of a giggle. At least Meg Ryan wasn't in it, but there was a trailer for her newest flick…
Rating: 2 stars
Next Week: The One
Can't wait for: Star Wars: Episode II and Spider Man (with intact ‘twin-towers' footage!!).
- Evelyn Gough remains unwell and we send her our love.
|
